The invention relates to an apparatus for mounting and/or dismounting hoses onto or from socket pieces, or operations of such a type.
If liquids or gases are to be piped, it is often necessary to fasten hoses to socket pieces. For example, a great variety of hoses are mounted onto socket pieces in a motor vehicle. Mounting a hose onto a socket piece, as a rule, requires to apply considerable force because the hose has an undersized with respect to the socket piece. If the hose is secured to the socket by means of a locking ring or the like it will do to employ a minor undersize and to exert a correspondingly smaller force. However, even if an extra securing element is used a significant expenditure of force can be required if a relatively stiff hose material is employed or the undersize chosen is large with regard to tightness and a safe seating.
In addition, hoses are mounted onto sockets even without an additional securing element with the sealing and securing action solely being caused by the undersize. In such cases, particularly large forces may be required for mounting the hose, specifically if high tightness is required or a relatively stiff hose material is employed. There is such a case, for instance, if the clipless assembly of ventilation hoses is effected on tanks and tank socket pieces.
In some cases, the forces needed can no longer be applied manually, particularly if a multiplicity of identical assemblies have to be done within a certain period.
Other mounting operations causing comparable problems are addressed as well. Generally, the operations concerned are those where an elongate element which is to be mounted and can only be grasped at its outer circumference requires to be forced onto or into a receptacle, specifically if the element to be mounted is flexible or can be buckled.
Similar problems occur if hoses or other elements are to be dismounted.
DE 296 13 654 U1 has made known an apparatus for forcing hose fittings onto hose ends of hose pieces of a large dimensional stability, particularly onto refrigerant hoses, which have at least one accommodating area for inserting a socket piece portion of the hose fitting which is slid onto the hose end of a hose piece wherein the at least one accommodating area is annularly encircled by a plurality of pressing jaws which are movable at least radially inwardly as referred to a central longitudinal axis of the accommodating area to non-positively force the socket piece portion onto the inserted hose end by means of a pressing mechanism. The pressing mechanism has pressurized-medium cylinders which are disposed around the accommodating area in a star-shaped fashion, are aligned radially with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the accommodating, and are designed to be identical, which carry a pressing jaw each and are jointly operable by means of a central pressure control unit.
DE 37 08 245 A1 describes a process and apparatus for mounting hoses, particularly hoses which are flexurally non-rigid, which allow mounting suited for mass production where the mounting time of hoses is low, their dimensions will vary, and there are two or more hose ends. After the first hose end is fixed it is possible to mount the second end or more hose ends freely floating in the space with their connection pieces. To this end, devices exist to provide hose clips and, further, appropriate devices to provide the flexurally non-rigid hoses themselves. To locate the position of the hose ends, there are measuring devices which are fixed to the gripper and monitor the gripping and joining operation by measuring the existence of the hose, the gripper force, the position of the gripping jaws, the joining path, and the slippage of the hose in the gripper and correcting them via appropriate regulating devices.
DE 94 21 475 U1 relates to a mounting aid for connecting the parts of a hose coupling, i.e. a sleeve-like hose coupling element having an open hose end, to a locking device to hold the open hose end in place, on one side, and a retaining device to hold in place the hose coupling element to be inserted into the hose end, on the other, and a positioning device which is apt to displace the retaining and locking devices with respect to each other in such a way that the hose coupling element can be forced into the open hose end. The mounting aid is characterized in that a basic body of the mounting aid has a rigid connection to the locking device to hold the hose end in place and the positioning device has a feed rod which carries the slidably guided retaining device with the basic body having a handle against which a feed lever can be pulled to advance the feed rod.
Therefore, it is the object of the invention to provide an apparatus which makes it easier to mount and/or dismount hoses onto or from socket pieces and to carry out operations of this type.
The object is achieved by an apparatus having the features of claim 1. Advantageous aspects of the apparatus are indicated in the sub-claims.
The inventive apparatus for mounting and/or dismounting hoses onto or from socket pieces, or for operations of such a type has
a drive producing a linear driving motion including a power supply unit and a control unit for controlling the driving motion,
a forward feed member adapted to be linearly driven by the drive,
pivotally supported inserted plier halves the inner lever ends of which facing away from a socket piece are engaged by the feed member in order to pivot the inserted plier halves with their jaws against a hose disposed therebetween during a forward motion of the feed member,
a bearing part supporting the inserted plier halves and adapted to be displaced in the direction of the feed member including a stop, and
a counterstop connected to the feed member which, after a phase of the forward motion of the feed member required to clamp the hose in place between the jaws, hits upon the stop while carrying along the bearing part through the remaining phase of the forward motion in order to advance the inserted plier halves and to push the hose clamped therein onto or from a socket piece.
The inventive apparatus makes it possible to mount and dismount hoses onto and from socket pieces in a simple and safe way. For this purpose, it utilizes a plier-like tool which uses forced control so that it clamps the hose in place between jaws in a first operation phase in such a way that it cannot be displaced therebetween by the forces which occur, and which pushes the thus clamped hose onto or from the socket piece only in a second operation phase. To achieve this, the forced control has a feed member which, in a first phase of an forward motion, merely controls the closing motion of the inserted plier halves and, in a second phase of a forward motion, causes the hose to be pushed on or off via stops which become active. This apparatus can be advantageously designed as a hand-held instrument which can be employed in mounting and dismounting operations in a particularly flexible way.
Especially if designed as a hand-held instrument, the apparatus can be provided with an end support for being stayed on a socket piece and/or a structure carrying the socket piece and/or a structure having a stable position with respect to the socket piece, which absorbs the reaction forces produced by pushing the hose onto the socket.
Preferably, the drive has at least one driving piston which is connected to a pressurized-medium connection via a pressurized-medium valve. The forward motion of the feed member is initiated by applying compressed air to the driving piston. In principle, the backward motion can be caused by routing the compressed air over to another surface of the driving pistons. Preferably, however, the drive has a spring mechanism for moving back the driving pistons in case of pressure relief. Pressurized-medium controlled drive constructions of this type are known, in particular, from the field of pressurized-medium actuated pliers for locking rings, etc., and are described, for example, in DE 195 19 543 C2.
The inserted plier halves may be pushed by another spring mechanism into an initial position where the inserted plier halves are pivoted away from each other.
Basically, the apparatus may be designed in two types: On one hand, the forward motion of the feed member is directed away from the drive in order to force the hose onto a socket piece remote from the drive. The jaws are then disposed between the drive and any end support. On the other hand, the forward motion of the feed member may be directed towards the drive in order to pull the hose onto a socket piece located near the drive. An end support will then be disposed between the drive and the jaws of the inserted plier halves. Which design to choose will depend on which possible accesses to the socket piece exist.
The two types described for the forward motion can also be utilized in dismounting hoses from socket pieces. In such a case, however, the jaws and end supports will have to exchange the aforementioned positions.
As is known from the field of pressurized-medium operated pliers the feed member may have chamfers which interact with the inner lever ends. Moreover, for a reduction of frictional forces, the inner lever ends may carry rotatably supported rollers the circumference of which is engaged by the feed member.
It is preferred that the inserted plier halves are designed substantially of a Z shape with a first outer leg of the Z shape, which disposes them pivotally in a plane containing the axis of motion of the feed member, and a second outer leg of the Z shape which forms the jaw disposing them in a second plane in parallel with the first one. This allows to lead the hose in the second plane past those parts of the apparatus which support, drive, or control the pliers.
To safely clamp the hose, the inserted plier halves each preferably have a partially cylindrical receptacle. The two receptacles are preferably provided with an undersize with regard to the cross-section of the hose to be accommodated and/or with respect to a nozzle at the end of the hose. Such a nozzle makes it easier to push the hose onto the socket piece.
Moreover, the jaws can have locking surfaces which are rigid in a first portion which is at front in the direction of forward motion, and are elastic in a second portion which is at rear in the direction of forward motion. The rigid portion serves to safely grip the hose. The elastic portion is intended to allow the hose to be guided and to be expanded while being pushed over the socket piece. It may be formed from an elastic insert of the respective locking surface. This prevents the hose from buckling under the large forces that act while the hose is being pushed on.
According to an advantageous further aspect, the bearing part has two parallel-arranged slide blocks which are guided in slide-block guides and are interconnected by bolts. The inserted plier halves can be supported on them between the slide blocks. Preferably, the slide blocks are of a panel shape.
The stop may be formed by the end of at least one elongated hole of the bearing part which is directed towards the axis of motion of the feed member and the counterstop can be formed by a dog pin which is disposed transversely to the axis of motion in the feed member and traverses the elongated hole. Such an elongated hole may be formed in each one of the parallel slide blocks and either of the elongated holes may be gripped through by the dog pin.
Preferably, the bearing part is associated with a detent which after the hose is clamped between the jaws is releasable by a further forward motion of the feed member. This helps achieve a safe separation of the closing motion of the inserted plier halves for safely gripping the hose prior to their forward motion to push the hose onto or from the socket. Preferably, the detent has at least one arresting body which, when in an arresting position, partly engages an receptacle of the bearing part and partly engages a counter-receptacle and, when in a release position, only continues to engage the counter-receptacle. It can be forced into the arresting position by means of a spring. It is understood that the counter-receptacle has a fixed position within the apparatus.
In principle, the arresting device may be caused to be released by the counterstop hitting onto the stop and, as a result, the feed member carrying along the bearing part. In contrast, according to an advantageous further aspect, the arresting body is adapted to be moved out of its receptacle in the bearing part by a release of the feed member. The release can have at least one surface inclined obliquely to the feed axis for moving an arresting body into the counter-receptacle from its receptacle in the bearing part.
Preferably, the apparatus has a casing comprising the drive. A tool head carrying the inserted plier halves can be disposed on a casing. An end support may be fixed to the tool head and/or the casing. Further, a control section having the control unit device and/or the power supply unit may be disposed on the casing.